Just got back from competing at Pans 2020. I lost in the first round to a dude from Checkmat.
The match started and within 5 seconds my opponent threw me with this weird collar throw that I haven’t felt before. I landed on my right knee (the one I had acl surgery on). I landed on it hard and it HURT right away. Shit.
My opponent then quickly passed and mounted me all within like 30 seconds. The positive thing is that I did not quit. I fought out of the position and ended up on top – just trying to do what I could.
Unfortunately my skills were not good enough to catch him or score any points and make up for that shitty start.
When he threw me and I hit my knee hard and got mounted in 30 seconds – at that moment. I felt in pain and embarrassed. The thought of just relaxing and letting him get one of my arms so I could get the fuck out of there crossed my mind for like 0.1 seconds.
But I stayed calm and worked my way out of there. For the rest of the match I was just trying to do all I could to get the points back. But, I never quit in the match. Yes my skills were not good enough to beat the #2 guy in my division. To be honest, my skills looked bad.
I can improve my skills, but if I had quit I would have felt like shit for a long time.
I trained hard for the tournament 45 days (about 10-12 bjj workouts per week and a couple strength and conditioning sessions on top). I felt in shape. My tactics weren’t sharp enough.
I should have seen it coming. I was trying to do like 10 things instead of just picking ONE thing.
It is better to be good at just ONE thing than to be dog shit at 10 things.
I thought I knew this but this experience was a really good reminder. I came away with a lot of lessons and I will be making changes to the way I prepare for these events. I think I can do better.
Main Points
- I lost my first match at Pans 2020
- It is a fact that my tactics were not correct or specific enough and my skills were not good enough to win. That’s a fact.
- Most important is that I never quit mentally in the match . Yes my skills were not good. But I can improve them. It will just take time. But if I had quit, I would have had flashbacks for the rest of my life.
“At a certain point, if he’s going to get to the top of the boxing profession, a fighter has to learn the difference between the truth and a lie.
The lie is thinking that submission is an acceptable option.
The truth is that if you give up, afterward you’ll realize that any of those punches that you thought you couldn’t deal with or those rough moments you didn’t think you could make it through, were just moments. Enduring them is not nearly as tough as having to deal with the next day and the next month and the next year, knowing that you quit, that you failed, that you submitted… It’s a trainer’s job to make a fighter understand that difference…
Maybe there is not more important lesson to learn from boxing than that.
Teddy Atlas
Oss!